Client Successes

Derrick Thompson (a fictitious name) was a revolving client.  He entered treatment at Emberwood Center at age 16, and was back several times, working with various counselors.  Adolescent Counselor Bryan wondered if anything he was saying to Derrick was “sinking in.”  His situation matched the very typical profile of many of our clients … impoverished, not in school, limited or minimal structure at home, spending time on the streets, and committing crimes … in other words, disenfranchised.  By age 17, when Derrick returned again, Bryan discovered that his efforts had indeed had a positive effect….Read More

Cindy sought help from Emberwood Center after experiencing continued family relationship issues. Her teenage children all had numerous legal problems and her daughter kept running away from home. Although Cindy received help from several different organizations, one theme that continued to surface was Cindy’s own alcohol use. While in treatment for alcohol dependence at Emberwood Center, she recognized that she was using alcohol to cope with previous traumatic experiences in her life. She also identified that she was sabotaging her family’s future with her alcohol consumption. Cindy entered Emberwood Center and agreed to alternative care situations for…Read More

Al entered Emberwood Center ‘s outpatient treatment program dependent on cocaine, which he had battled for decades. Al completed formal substance abuse treatment once before, while in prison for cocaine-related charges. He successfully achieved complete sobriety while in prison four years, as well as the first seven years after being released. Upon release, Al began rebuilding his life around sobriety. He created his own business, started attending church regularly, and found a healthier peer group. However, he slowly found himself and his lifestyle spiraling back into unhealthy patterns. Al began dating someone who did not attend church….Read More

Mike came to Emberwood Center‘s outpatient program as an embittered 28-yearold. He was on probation in Marion and Hancock counties for “Receiving Stolen Property” during a two year cocaine binge. Mike talked about how he and his best friend smoked their way through a $250,000 insurance settlement. Mike was living at a local work release center and holding down a full-time job. Mike saw the court-ordered treatment at Emberwood Center as one more way “the system” was intruding on his life, and he let his position be known by saying, “I’m managing my life just fine –…Read More

The Confidence Club has had a formative and positive influence on the life of a talented young athlete, Czarnest Dela Cruz. Czarnest was recently invited to represent the Club in Colorado Springs at the Junior National Team Trials in April of this year. His success comes as no surprise to others in the Club, knowing that he has been training in Tae Kwon Do under such skilled practitioners as Johnny Kidd (who will be accompanying Czarnest to Colorado) and Shahona Rogers, other Confidence Club success stories. Johnny, 19, and Shahona, 21, are no…Read More